It takes a special and secure hymn writer to stand in front of a packed classroom and ask those gathered to tell you why a hymn for which you penned the lyrics doesn’t work.
The 700 or so people attending the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ Worship & Music Conference this week were welcomed to worship Monday by the pleasing sound of 13 people playing 26 handbells.
The Bible is sprinkled with dialogue, dissonance and debate. That’s a good thing and it’s something that makes the Bible unique among sacred texts, Dr. William Brown said Monday during a class he’s offering at the Worship & Music Conference being held this week at Monreat Conference Center by the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.
“We’re so glad you’re here. We’ve been waiting for you for three years,” Karrie Rushing, co-director of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ Worship & Music Conference, told the 700 or so people gathered for opening worship Sunday inside Anderson Auditorium at Montreat Conference Center.
Organizers of “Thirst No More,” the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ intergenerational Worship & Music Conference, say there’s still time and space to register for the popular conference held each year at Montreat Conference Center.
On Thursday, Lionel Derenoncourt and the Rev. Marissa Galván Valle of Beechmont Presbyterian Church (Iglesia Presbiteriana) in Louisville, Kentucky, used a monthly online town hall forum offered by the Presbyterian Association of Musicians to discuss a feature near and dear to the hearts of Beechmont and its neighbors: the Peace Garden the church constructed during the pandemic and dedicated last year.
At baptisms especially, Presbyterians love to talk about water. Some of the more adventurous baptizers even splash some of the water out of the font to remind those gathered to celebrate of their own baptism.
Beginning with Advent, preachers, music leaders and the people who hear them each week will enter a year with Matthew’s gospel, thanks to the Revised Common Lectionary, which turns the focus to Year A beginning Nov. 27.
The Presbyterian Association of Musicians has received more than $360,000 from the estate of Dana Mitchell. Mitchell was the Worship and Music Conference Administrator for 28 years.
During closing worship Friday at the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ Worship and Music Conference, the Rev. Aisha Brooks-Johnson encouraged those present, in person and online, to become advocates for healing.